Aaron Rodgers draft replacement doesn't have to cost Jets their early first-round pick
The tumultuous and controversial Aaron Rodgers era is coming to an end in New York. Several hours before Super Bowl, NFL Insider Jay Glazer broke the news of the pending divorce between the New York Jets and quarterback Aaron Rodgers this offseason.
Big scoopage: Aaron Rodgers flew back to New Jersey last week to meet with the Jets about his future with the team, only to be told that the team was moving on from him. If that means that he will be a June 1 designation that allows him to sign with any team in the league on…
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) February 9, 2025
The Jets are in a total house-cleaning model having fired both head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas mid-season. In comes former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, and the new general manager Darren Mougey from the Denver Broncos.
Parting with Rodgers is the first step towards cleaning up the Jets.
Glenn was drafted by the same Jets in the first round back in 1994 from Texas A&M, played from 1994-2001, and even served a scout from 2012-13. He also experienced another turnaround when he was a defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions from 2021-24.
The Lions were in a similar state following the dismissal of Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn, and replaced with Dan Campbell, and general manager Brad Holmes. Since they finished 3-13-1 in 2021, the Lions are 36-15 the last three seasons, including a franchise best 15-2 rec in 2024.
The Jets tried to accommodate Rodgers' wishes by hiring offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who bombed badly in his only season as the Denver Broncos head coach in 2022. They also signed former Packers players like Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and even traded for Davante Adams with minimal success. It is understandable why the Jets are moving on from Rodgers as he brought chaos and often caused controversies by himself.
With Rodgers gone now, the worst possible thing the Jets can do is to move up and draft Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward to be their quarterback of the future. Chad Reuter from the NFL Network put neither quarterback at No. 7 in his latest mock draft. Instead, he drafted Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham. Then, he threw a real curve ball by having the Jets move back into the first round and selecting Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart at No. 31.
It the Jets do take Dart as Reuter predicts, that means they need to sign a reliable veteran like Kirk Cousins or Russell Wilson until Dart is ready. Moving on from Rodgers was probably the right decision given the current state of the Jets. But Glenn and Mougey better have a solid plan at quarterback to justify their decision to move on from Rodgers.
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